Body of missing man discovered in Dexter

DEXTER, Maine — A body found hanging from a tree Tuesday night is that of Matthew Lee Ricker, 31, who was reported missing six months ago, police say.

“He was reported missing in October and all things indicate he most likely hanged himself around that time,” Stephen McCausland, Maine State Police spokesman, said Wednesday. “A suicide note was found near the body and there was some personal items found there as well.”

Ricker’s body was found in a wooded area off Mechanic Street, near where his parents live, Dexter Police Chief Art Roy said. The body was found around 6:50 p.m. by a relative who contacted his department, he said.

Ricker, formerly of Sangerville, was reported missing by his parents in December. The last known contact he had was a conversation with his dad on Oct. 1, in which he told his father he “didn’t have to worry about him anymore,” according to his mother, Kathy Ricker of Dexter.

He was not reported missing until December because his mother said she thought he needed time to “cool off.” She became alarmed when everyone involved in her son’s life began talking and found that no one had seen or talked with him since the Oct. 1 conversation. Those who last saw Ricker alive said he was distraught over marital problems.

The wooded area where the body was found is not far from the roadway, but “it was down over a little bit of a knoll and snowbanks would have blocked” visibility, Roy said.